Metropolitan
1990 Directed by Whit Stillman
Synopsis
Finally... A film about the downwardly mobile.
A sparkling comedic chronicle of a middle-class young man’s romantic misadventures among New York City’s debutante society. Stillman’s deft, literate dialogue and hilariously highbrow observations earned this debut film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Alongside the wit and sophistication, though, lies a tender tale of adolescent anxiety.
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Need to read some Virginia Woolf now. Then be critical.
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A sleek satire of the preppie class in East Manhattan. The movie takes place over the couple of weeks that comprise the debutante ball season around Christmas time.
A West sider, of limited resources, is invited to join a group of "friends" as they pass the time over this period talking about class issues, politics, literature, gossip, and whatever else the societal elite talk about.
I was afraid going into this film that it was going to be too dry and proper. It is anything but. Both the film and its characters are very engaging. I knew this film was a comedy of manners and I knew that I have had mixed feelings about films in this genre. This movie…
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Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand".
Prior to his reappearance with last year’s Damsels in Distress, Whit Stillman had a reputation as something of a cinematic spectre, emerging from nowhere to direct a trilogy of films about the mannerisms of the upper class in the 1990s before disappearing entirely from the face of the film industry. Metropolitan was the first of these, and earned Stillman an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay alongside several other honours; concerning a group of Manhattan preppies on Christmas vacation from their first year of university, it’s a slyly scathing take on the pretences of entitled youth. Edward Clements plays Tom, an accidental addition to this group who fulfils the dual role…
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Some of my favorite films don't merely invite me to observe a world, but rather invite to take part, to learn the rules and the rhythms and make me feel like I'm taking part in an environment I'm usually not privy to. I even find myself feeling different, talking different... like being in a different country for a while makes you start to talk and act like everyone else. METROPOLITAN is one of those films. While some might say that we don't need a film that documents the Urban Haute Bourgeoisie, but hell, I don't get to see much of how that world works, and I refuse to feel bad about it fascinating me. Anyway, the writing is fantastic, dry,…
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"'Metropolitan' is a film that feels as though it could've been written by J.D. Salinger, with its preppy debutante setting (or "urban haute bourgeoisie," as they like to be called in the movie) and misfit lead character. Yet Stillman's voice is decidedly his own, with dialogue as dry as a martini and wit as delicious as Woody Allen's best work. It's no wonder Stillman's little indie debut snagged him an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay."
Read the rest here: www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2012/07/26/homevideodrome-stillman
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A bunch of young, upper-middle class folk talk about things as they hop from debutante party to debutante party. If anything, Stillman reminds me of Jane Austen. The story these "Urban Haute Bourgeoisie" and gently points out their pettiness, hypocrisy, and shallowness.
But Stillman loves his characters and the world they inhabit, so it's exhilarating (at least in my opinion) to watch some of the characters change for the better. There's a lightness to the movie that is refreshing, and the non-stop patter of dialogue is filled with gems.
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Wow. What a magnificent screenplay. What interesting on screen presences and dialogues, even for a world I am total stranger to nor wish to particularly know more about.
Referring directly to Jane Austen's Mansfield Park - some extensive discussions (as films go) were being lead about it in the film - Audrey and Tom even echo Fanny Price and Edmund Bertram from above mentioned novel. Actually, a couple of other characters might be linked to it as well, the most interesting one, Nick, might be older Bertram brother, Rick might be a portrait of Mr Crawford and Serena his sister. All right, that is a bit going too far.
This whole debutante season story in New York is really strange…
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Need to read some Virginia Woolf now. Then be critical.
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Such a lovely late night treat to rematch. Just sitting in my bed taking in the wonderful conversation with these fascinating characters!
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One thing that I love is the way that Whit Stillman's sense of humor is portrayed in his films. It come off through the characters as a straightforward script but to the viewer they laugh at it because it's a. funny or b. so ludicrous that it just makes you laugh. The script is great in this!
This shows the stereotypical idea one has towards the 'pompous' teens/early 20's in the 'rich' neighborhoods of New York. Not only do the characteristics meet the people, but so do the residences, the obscene events they go to, and clothing that is worn throughout the film.
I am a fan of your work Mr. Whit Stillman, and I can't wait to watch more!
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very good and funny and it rules
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interesting, alittle talky, but that was expected
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Loved the dialogue and the Jane Austen references.
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A sleek satire of the preppie class in East Manhattan. The movie takes place over the couple of weeks that comprise the debutante ball season around Christmas time.
A West sider, of limited resources, is invited to join a group of "friends" as they pass the time over this period talking about class issues, politics, literature, gossip, and whatever else the societal elite talk about.
I was afraid going into this film that it was going to be too dry and proper. It is anything but. Both the film and its characters are very engaging. I knew this film was a comedy of manners and I knew that I have had mixed feelings about films in this genre. This movie…
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I feel that anyone who enjoys the films of Woody Allen would feel at home with Whit Stillman's Metropolitan. It is a dialogue-heavy film filled with intellectual and witty conversations by a group of upper-class college students in Manhattan who are joined by a middle class outsider. The humor is dry and relies solely on wit rather than insult or physical comedy. Each character feels unique and discernable from the rest. And ultimately, the film offers a unique perspective on some of the woes and troubles that the young adults of the upper class face, which for the most part are almost the same that those of the other classes find themselves dealing with.